US economy rebounds as demand drives growth

Washington, August 29, 2014

The US economy rebounded more strongly than initially thought in the second quarter with more of the growth being driven by domestic demand and less by restocking by businesses.

Gross domestic product (GDP) expanded at a 4.2 per cent annual rate instead of the previously reported 4.0 per cent pace, the Commerce Department said yesterday, reflecting upward revisions to business spending and exports.

It combined with separate reports showing a second consecutive week of declines in the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits and a jump in home purchase contracts to give the economy a healthy glow.

'We expect growth during the latter half of the year to continue running at an above 3 per cent pace, underscoring the rebound in growth momentum as economic slack continues to decline,' said Gennadiy Goldberg, an economist at TD Securities in New York.

The Labour Department said the number of Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits slipped 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 298,000 last week, underscoring the strengthening labour market fundamentals.

In a third report, the National Association of Realtors said its Pending Home Sales Index, which leads home resales by a month or two, increased 3.3 per cent in July to its highest level in 11 months. That was the latest indication that the housing market recovery was back on track after faltering in the second half of 2013 in the wake of a run-up in mortgage rates.

The composition of growth in the second quarter was even more encouraging, with the sources of growth broad-based.

Domestic demand increased at a brisk 3.1 per cent rate, instead of the previously reported 2.8 per cent pace. It was the fastest pace since the second quarter of 2010 and suggested the recovery was becoming more durable after output slumped in the first quarter because of an unusually cold winter.

The broad-based growth, however, will not be enough to spur the Federal Reserve to start raising interest rates as slack still exists in the labour market and inflation will probably continue to run below the US central bank's 2 per cent target.

'We still have a long way to go. Hence, the Fed remains cautious about how rapidly it raises rates,' said Diane Swonk, chief economist at Mesirow Financial in Chicago.

Economists had expected the second-quarter GDP growth pace would be revised down to 3.9 per cent. The economy contracted at a 2.1 per cent pace in the first quarter.

Gross domestic income, which measures the income side of the growth ledger, surged at a 4.7 per cent rate, consistent with strong job gains during the quarter. That was the fastest increase since the first quarter of 2012.

This alternative growth measure decreased at a 0.8 per cent pace in the first quarter. While personal income growth for the first quarter was revised down a bit, estimates for the second quarter were more robust than previously believed.-Reuters